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Aug. 26, 1924. 1,506,505

P. J. SAXER MOVABLE BALL RACK on Poqkm BILLIAimTABLEs Filed Oct. 6, 1921 49 /5 A? /&

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYJ' Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PAUL J. SAXER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MOVABLE BALL RACK FOB Application filed October 6, 1921.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PAUL J. SAXER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Movable Ball Racks for Pocket-Billiard Tables, of which the following is a specification.

l\Iy invention relates to a ball receiving rack for pocket billiard tables; the principal objects of my invention being to provide a relatively simple and practical ball receiv ing rack that may be conveniently arranged on the end or side of a pocket billiard table. to provide a mounting or support for the rack that will permit the latter to 'be readily shifted from one position to another to enable the players to easily and conveniently make their shots from any point around the rail of the table; further to provide a ball. receiving rack that may be readily swung into position to effect a simultaneous discharge of the contained balls onto the surface ofthe table; to provide a construction that.

may be swung into position whereby the balls may be readily counted, to provide a' construction that will eliminate the use of the ordinary wall racks now in general use; and further to provide a device that will. eliminate the services of an attendant or employee Whose duties are to transfer the balls from a wall rack to the surface of the playing table and consequently effecting the saving of time, labor and consequent eX- ense.

Vith the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an end elevational view of a pocket billiard table that is equipped with a ball receiving rack of my improved construction,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of my improved ball receiving rack.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational View of the rack embodying my invention, and showing the same in position upon a table.

' Fig. 4 is an elevational view showing th rack swung u wardly into position to effect a discharge of the balls onto the surface of the playing table.

Fig.5 is an elevational view of a hinge .which plate are connected. by pairs of Cl1l1Cl rods 17, the ends thereof being POCKET-BILLIARI) TABLES.

Serial No. 505,780.

that is utilized as connection between the ball supporting rack and the table.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig, 7 is a detail. view of a modified form of the sliding hanger or support for my improved ball receiving rack. 1

Referring by numerals to the accompanying draw'igs which illustrate a practical embodiment of my invention, 10 designates the bed or body of a pocket billiard table, 11 the marginal rail on the top of the table and which rail serves as a'support for the cues in playing the game, and 12 the pockets that are arranged at the corners of the table and at intermediate points onv the sides thereof, and which are adapted to receive the balls used in playing the game. The support for the-ball receiving rack is preferably in the form of a metal rod 13 that is positioned on the side or end of the bed or body of the table a short distance below the rail 11 thereof, and said rod being secured to the body of the table by, suitable brackets 14.

The frame of the rack comprises a top plate 15 of wood or metal, a bottom plate 16 of wood or metal, and the corners of cured to the plates 15 and 16 in any suitable manner. Inasmuch as the rods 17 are inclined the bottom plate 16 is offset with respect to the top plate 15, and thus the r cl; occupies an inclined position that it substantially parallel with the outer face of the side or end of the table body. As ,a result of such construction, the rack occupies an out of the way position beneath the top rail. 11, and as the supporting member 18 extends the entire length or width of the table, the rack may be readily shifted from one position to another on said supporting railso that it does not interfere with the move ments of the player while making a shot.

Formed in the upper plate 15 is aseries of four or more ball receiving openings l8, and appearing adjacent to each, opening and preferably at diametrically opposite points on the upperface of said pl ate 15 are designating numerals. preferably arranged incon se-cutive order, assistance to the players inlreeping proper and which are of material score of the game. Seated-( in (the top plate 15 and disposed a QI eacll opel'liing 18 are the upper ends of a series of ball supporting :members 1 9 of wood, Wire or other suitable material, and which are bent to form sinusoidal curves, and which arrangement tends to restrict the rolling movement of the balls lengthwise through the chambers or spaces between said supporting members. In addition to being inclined inwardly from top plate 15 to bottom plate 1.6, the supporting members 19 are all inclined laterally, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and which arrangement greatly facilitates the discharge of the balls from the rack when .the same is .swung upwardly with plate 1'5 positioned above the rail 11 of the table, as illustrated in {Fi e 4.

lo provide a rolling support for the lower of the rack, brackets 20 carrying ruller's 21 project "inwardly from lower plate 1 6,, and said vrollers bear directly against a heck rail 22 that is positioned on the outer .face the table a short distance below the support? member 13. To support the ;t the movable ball receiving rack 'th e'f ba'lls positioned therein, a vertically disposed supporting member 22 depends from the lower member 16 and the lower end of said member carrying a suitable caster wheel 22" and which latter is adapted to ride directly over the floor upon Which the table .is positioned. This member 22 may also serveas a brace when the rack is swung upward to permit the balls to be counted.

"To support the rack when the same is swung outwardly away from the "body of the table when the balls are to be counted, an .arin is pivotally connected at its upper end to afrbracket 24, which latter is supported by the rear or inner pair of rods 17 and the lower end of said pivoted arm is adapted to engage upon teeth 25 that project outwardly from a plate 26, and the latter "be ing secured to the bed or table 1.0 a short distance above track rail '22.

The means for connecting the upper plate to the supporting rail 13 comprises hinge members :27 that are directly connected to the rear edge of plate 15 and pivotailly con Rectcd to the upper ends of said hinge members are depending hinge members 28 that "are substantially longer than said mem- ,bersf27.

The lower ends of said members 2% are pivotally connected to vertically disposed hin e members 29, the upper portions of which extend a substantial distance above the upper ends .of members 2 and j ournaled 1331530 that aresea-ted in the upper ends cf members 29 are grooved rollers 31 an sridediract y n p Ofrail l .s e r d an t iipp Po o o memb r .2? an an the in e fa thereof are Pi 32 onwhijeh are jpurnaled grooved rollers .3,]1thecc1cnpying wi ens imm di iybelaw the grooved rollers 31, and which construction retains the supporting members in position upon the rail 13 when the rack is swung upward into position to discharge the balls onto the table (see Fig. 4;).

Pivotally connected to the hinge pin be- I tween the arts 27 and 28 is a hook 3 1 that normally engages over the supporting rail 3, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6, thereby retaining the hinge parts 27 and 28 and the upper portion of the rack in position immediately adjacent to the rail The ends of top plate 15 are beveled or inclined, and pivotally connected to said beveled or inclined ends are'the upper ends of arms 35 which normally hang downward and outward, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and which arms are adapted to be swung over onto the upper surface of the table when the rack is shifted into position to discharge the balls onto the table, and thus said arms serve as retaining and guiding members to prevent the balls from rolling to various parts of the table when dischargedthereonto. This arrangement is effective in maintaining the balls in a relatively small area, and consequently effecting a saving of time and labor in placing the balls in the trian gular rack that is utilized forproperly positioning the balls on the table.

Arranged on the under side of top member 15 and preferably adjacent to its outer edge is a ball retaining, device 36 that may be formed from a strip of wood, or an elongated section of metal, such as wire, the end portions of said member being pivotally connected to suitable brackets, such as 37, that depend from the under side of member 15 adjacent to its ends. Portions ofthe member 36 are extended downwardly to form ears or lugs 38, and which latter are spaced so that when the member is swung inwardly and upwardly, said ears will extend into the channels formed between the ball retaining members 19, and consequently preventing the balls from rolling out of the rack when the latter is swung outward and upward into position to count the balls.

Under normal conditions the rack occupies the positions, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, and when so positioned the rack may be shifted from one side of the table to the other so that it will not interfere with the movements of the players while making their shots. As the balls are pocketed during the playing of the game, the players remove their pocketed balls and drop the same through the openings 18 in top member 15 of the rack, it being understood that each player, prior to the beginning of the game,selects one of the numbered compartments in the rack in which to place the pocketed balls; As the balls are inserted through openings 18 they will pass downwardly thro 'h the sinusoidal channels formed between the members 19, and the lUJ particular shape of members 19 restricts or retards the rolling movement of the balls into the lower ortion of the rack.

At the termination of the ame, or when it is desired to count the bal s pocketed by the respective players, the lower portion of the rack is enga ed and drawn outwardly and upwardly, t ereby swinging therack out-wardly and upwardly away from its normal position adj acent to the bed of the table, and when so positioned the balls and the numbers thereupon may be readily counted.

Wl1en it is desired to discharge the balls from the rack onto the surface of the playing table, the rack is swung upwardly into a'slightly inclined position with the upper member 15 positioned directly above the rail 11 of the table, as illustratedin Fi 4, i

and when so positioned the balls contained within the rack will gradually discharge therefrom by rolling downwardly between the sinusoidal members 19. It will be understood that to permit the balls to discharge from the rack, it is of course necessary to manuall rotate the retaining device 36 so that the ugs 38 are moved inwardly and clear of the openings 18. To prevent the balls from spreading over the surface of the table, the arms 35 are swung downwardly onto the surface of the table, thereby forming inclined guard rails that retain the entire series of balls within a relatively small compass, and enabling said balls to be readily placed in the triangular rack ordinarily used for assembling and spotting balls. When the rack is swung'upwardly to effect a discharge of the balls, the hook 34 becomes disengaged from supporting member 11, and the parts of the hinges that connect the upper portion of the rack to supporting member 13 swing into the posi-' tions, as shown in Fig 4,

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 7, short vertically disposed rods 38 provide hangers for supporting the movable ball receiving rack, said rods being provided at their upper ends with hooks 39 that engage over the rail or supporting member 13, and the lower ends of said hangers being provided with antifriction rollers 40 which are adapted to bear against the outer face of the bed of the table. Portions of the hanger rods adjacent to their upper ends are bent outwardly to form notches 41, and which latter receive screw eyes, or like members 42, that are seated in and project rearwardly from the top member 15 of the rack. Where this construction is utilized, the hooks 39 in the upper ends of hangers 38 slide lengthwise upon the supporting rod 13 when the rack is shifted from one position to another, and which construction also enables the rack to be swung outwardly and upwardly away from the table in order that the balls may be counted or discharged onto the top of the table.

-Thus it will be seen that I have produced a ball rack for pocket billiard tables that will conveniently receive and hold the'balls at a point immediately adjacent to the table, said rack being movable from one position to another so that the players may move freely along the rails of the table in making their shots, said rack normally occupying an out of the way position below the top rail of the table, and said rack being mounted so that it maybe swung upward to enable the balls to be counted, and also for the purpose of permitting the balls to discharge onto the surface of the playing table.

The rack is of relatively simple structure, may be easily and cheaply produced, eliminates the use of the usual wall rack associated'with pocket billiard tables, and is effectiv e in saving much of the time and labor ordinarily involved in'the handling of the balls, particularly in assembling the same for play' upon the table.

It will be understood that minor changes in size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved pocket billiard table rack may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope'of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ball rack comprising a ball supporting frame, means adapted to support the frame for horizontal movement upon a table, and means for connectin the frame to said means to permit of the frame being swung upwardly in overlying position with respect to the table to discharge the balls in the frame on the table.

2. A ball rack comprising a ball supporting frame, means adapted to support the frame at one side of a table,and pivoted means for extensibly supporting the frame to allow of the frame being moved to overlying position with respect to the table to discharge the balls in the frame on the table.

3. In combination, a ball receiving rack mounted to occupy ball receiving and ball discharging positions, and likewise means for preventing the balls from discharging from the rack when the latter is moved to ball discharging position.

4. A ball rack comprising a support, a ball supporting frame arranged for horizontal sliding movement on said support, and means for extensibly associating the frame with the support to permit upward and outward swinging movement of the frame.

5. The combination with a pocket billiard table, of a ball receiving rack arranged for movement on the table, and a support for the rack depending therefrom and adapted to have rolling engagement with the floor,

upon s id sp c ra l ,8; A ball rack comprls ingapair of horizflntelly' disposed supporting rails, a frame arranged for movement along the rails, and mea fe S pp n he frame P m an p dmutwerd an inwar sw ngr ing movement thereof. 1

9.; A ball rack "for pocket billiard tables having a series of vertical compartments ara ged one besid he O e n ball retel r ing, members Within saidcompartments.

v 10. A ball receiving rackior pocket billiard tables .c.omp,r. s ng an ppe embe having openings adapted to receive balls, :1

lower member, and a series of inclined members arranged betwe nsaid upper-and lower members and forming elongated ball receiving pockets. 11.-' A ball receiving rack for pocket billiardtahles provided with a series of ball receiving compartments that are separated by sinusoidal members. i

12. A ball receiving rack for pocket bil liard tables provided with a series of ball receiving compartments that are separated by inc-lined sinusoidal rods. v

13. A ball receiving rack for pocket billiard tables comprising a skeleton frame, the upper member of which is provided with ball receiving openings, and sinusoidal rods extending downwardly through the frame between said openings.

14. A ball receiving rack for pocket billiard tables comprising a skeleton frame, the

upper member of which is provided with t I hall receiving openings, and inclined sinusoidal n 'embrs extending downwardly through the rame between said openings v A 15, Thecombiiiation withapocket billiard table, of I a ball receiving rack having aiplurality ball'chambers, which rack is mounted so as beswun outwardly and upwardly withrespeet .to' t 'e table to'which it connected, and means associated, with said rack for preventin thehallsfrom discharging from the racz when the same is w g mtwe d d upw d y-I 16, The combination with a pocket billiard table,.of a movable ball rack connected thereto so as to be swun outwardly and u wardly with respect to 5m railo said tab e, tooccupy a ball discharging position and means carried by the upper portion of said rack 91 guiding the balls as they discharge from the pockets said rack. '17- A al re k z or m i the rack for horizontal adjustment, and means associated with the last means for sustaining the rack for, verticalswinging movement- T.

18. In combination, a pocket billard table, a ball supporting rack constructed tooceupy a ppsition in which it is disposed in spaced parallelism to one inclinedside of said table, and means for supporting the rack to occupy ball receiving, and discharging positions Q A 19. In combination, a pocket billiard table, a ball supporting rack constructed to occupy a position in which it istdisposed in spaced" parallelism to one inclined side of said table,'mean s for supporting the rack to occupy ball receiving and discharging positions, and means associated with the first means to permit of a horizontal vadjustment of the rack with ,I'eSPect to the table.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

PAUL J. SAXER. 

